The use of hose reels for convenient handling and storage of a flexible garden hose has gained wide public acceptance. Such hose reels can be mounted on a cart or secured to the wall and are primarily constructed of molded plastic components having a centrally disposed rotatable spool for reeling inward or outward the flexible hose, a frame including a pair of frame sides for supporting of a spool, and provision for mounting of the frame to the wall of a building. Hose reel carts and wall mounted hose reels are commonly purchased by the general consumer in a disassembled state requiring hand tools for assembly. The assembly can be time consuming and for the novice most frustrating as well as leading to damaged goods if the assembly is improperly prepared. For this reason, a problem that has arisen with hose reels of the prior art is that, despite the directions for assembly, a majority of the consuming public is unable or have no desire to assemble such devices. Cottage industries have developed solely for the purpose of assembling products that have been purchased in a disassembled state. Many stores that inventory unassembled products have personnel on staff capable of assembling the product. If this is performed as a courtesy the expense becomes a burden on the store. If the consumer pays to have the product assembled, the cost of the device increases.
Improper assembly can damage such devices when an assembler fails to follow instructions or tries to force fit a component. The result is aggravation by the purchaser who may ask the store to take the product back and refund their money. A store which takes back the product endures a time consuming paperwork ordeal which includes a request of the manufacturer to take back the product wherein the manufacturer must also perform paperwork as well as attempt to salvage the damaged product. Done unexpectedly, most returned items are damaged as a result of improper assembly.
The reason many such products are shipped unassembled is due to the size of packaging required once an assembled product is placed in an operating form. For instance, a hose reel shipped in a disassembled state can easily fit in a box that allows the device to be shipped on a pallet together with numerous other similar shaped boxes. Under such circumstances it is not unusual to have twenty or more boxes of wall mountable hose reels placed on a pallet wherein a forklift can be used for movement of the pallet. A receiving store may leave a shipment of packages on the shipping pallet above the normal reach of the consuming public. The boxed product is brought down to replenish those items purchased causing the store to decide whether to assemble the product before display.
Unassembled hose reels are packaged in a shipping carton to protect the product during shipping and storage, and more importantly, prevent loss of individual components before assembly. A great deal of time and expense goes into packaging of the product so as to provide as compact packaging as possible. The shipping carton must include indicia to indicate to the public what is within the contents of the carton. This adds an expense to the carton especially if the use of color graphics is provided which is preferred by store owners so that potential purchasers do not break open the cartons in an effort to determine the contents. In addition, the unassembled hose carts require the inclusion of assembly instructions.
Disposal of shipping cartons is also wasteful. Once a hose cart is assembled, the shipping carton is unusable for nearly any other purpose. The carton becomes a waste product that will hopefully be recycled but realistically adds mass to a landfill. Concern must also be made that the cartons are sized to allow for stackability when placed upon a pallet.
Another problem with the prior art is the securement of a reel hub unnecessary for the introduction of water. The reel hub must allow rotation yet allow the device to be hooked up to a water supply wherein the hose can be reeled inward or outward without interfering with the flow of water. Seals within the hub allow rotation without leakage. A problem occurs when the seals require service, either in the form of lubrication or replacement. This is commonly a problem in the northern states should the device be allowed to freeze. When the seals require service, the hub must be removed to facilitate replacement. Without proper tools the unit will be damaged. In most instanaces the attachment is performed by the use of screws requiring proper threading or identical replacement should the screws be lost to prevent damaging of the unit. Disassembly and assembly is complicated and many consumers simply forego it, leading to the early destruction of the device.
Thus what is lacking in the art is a wall mount hose reel that can be pre-assembled at the factory, shipped without the necessity of a conventional shipping container, and of such design the hose reels can be nested together to reduce storage space.
Thus what is also lacking in the prior art is a wall mountable hose reel having an improved reel assembly that can be disassembled without tools and includes a means for reducing stress from a hose wrapped around the reel.